Pesticides & Poverty aims to assist developing countries to effectively implement chemical conventions and promote sustainable livelihoods, integrating an environmental dimension into development priorities.
It is a 3 year project, primarily funded by the Development Directorate-General of the European Commission.

1. Partnership approach: the project is guided by a national group of key people responsible for chemical safety, who meet at annual workshops and provide their perspectives on the chemical conventions and the project.

2. Community Health Monitoring: PAN Asia Pacific (based in Malaysia) have developed a technique of Community-based Pesticides Action Monitoring (CPAM), and have extensive experience of training pesticide users to monitor their own symptoms and understand the link between pesticide use and health. This approach is adapted for Africa, and a training of trainers will be held in July 2006. In the second half of 2006, local communities will carry out surveys in the field.

3. Eco-toxicological Impacts of Pesticides Monitoring: Using the manual “Ecological Monitoring Methods for the Assessment of Pesticide Impact in the Tropics”, ecologists from the NR Group will train government, academic and NGO staff to monitor ecological impacts of pesticides in September and November 2006. Trained participants will be supported in carrying out a monitoring survey in 2007.

4. Case Studies: Partners in the participating countries will carry out 6 case studies on the specific problems and possible solutions, demonstrating the vital need for action under existing conventions and chemical initiatives. Problems include misuse of containers, illegal trade, buried and leaking drums of pesticides, etc.

5. Africa Stockpiles Programme: The 15 year programme aims to dispose of existing stockpiles and prevent re-occurrence of future obsolete pesticides. It requires countries to ratify the Stockholm Convention, and recommends ratifying the Rotterdam and Basel Conventions, as a way to improve pesticide management and reduce future stockpile accumulation. Elements of Pesticides and Poverty can support the ASP, providing an opportunity for dissemination throughout Africa.

6. Consolidated guide to the Chemical Conventions: We are working with Ecosphere, a legal consultancy based in Brussels to create a guide, which will describe the main conventions. It will focus on obligations and actions required for each, indicating complementary benefits and mutually reinforcing elements. It will cover at least: Rotterdam, Stockholm, Basel, Bamako, Ramsar and ILO Chemicals Conventions, Montreal Protocol, Biosafety Protocol, FAO and WHO codes, relationship to IFCS-initiated activities and other appropriate processes.

7. Integrated Pest Management: Partners with successful experience of IPM training with farmers will organise field visits for policy makers to visit the projects. We hope to demonstrate the benefits and feasibility of sustainable strategies, aiming to mainstream these projects and have national IPM policies adopted.